Vegan Eats {Breakfast}

I love breakfast. You probably know this if you read "If You Give a Blog a Breakfast". Here in Turkey, I've learned to have a new appreciation for this meal, and how lingering over a table for hours with friends can really be an amazing way to build rich friendships.

Now with my vegan diet, I've been passionately trying to find ways to preserve my breakfast favorites, as well as add to my arsenal of easy recipes, all without using animal products. Recently I've been hosting a lot of breakfast gatherings for my friends at my house, and I've been putting these recipes to the test. They have come out on top! Here are the favorites so far, and I'll be adding more as I find them.

{Vegan Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips} (Click for printable file)

My first time making this recipe, and I was experimenting with the chocolate chip addition. It was devoured quite quickly after this photo was taken.

This recipe includes brewed coffee, chocolate chips, and chia seeds! So good and so healthy! I found this recipe on the Sugar and Cinnamon food blog. I did the vegan version of this and also used the ingredients most readily-available to me here in Turkey.

Ingredients:

2 smashed-up bananas (remember, banana bread is a great way to use brown bananas! The bananas in my house never last that long, though...)
1/3 cup brewed black coffee (as in, the liquid, not the coffee grounds!)
3 tablespoons chia seeds mixed with 6 tablespoons of water (this subs the eggs)
1/2 cup olive oil 
1/2 cup brown sugar (or maple syrup if you want)
1 cup of white flour
1 cup of wholewheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
vegan chocolate chips (check the packaging to make sure there are no milk products!) - optional

So, you pre-heat your oven to 350F (180C). Put a large piece of parchment paper in your loaf pan to line it (no messy clean-up or worrying that it stuck!). Beat together your olive oil and sugar, then slowly add in your chia seed-water mixture and mix. Mix in your mashed bananas and coffee really well. 

In a separate bowl, mix or sift your flours and the rest of the dry ingredients (except chocolate chips). Then fold into the liquids bowl and keep folding until well-combined. Pour into the loaf pan and sprinkle chocolate chips on top (if you wish). Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a knife stuck into it comes out clean. The original recipe says it serves 8-12...we had 4 of us at breakfast and we devoured it. As in, only a half-slice left behind. A win in my books.

{Vegan Pancakes}

I found this easy recipe for pancakes from the blog Cookie and Kate. I really like the recipe because it uses things that I already have around my house, and all the ingredients are available in Turkey. I haven't been able to find things like coconut oil and vegan butter here, so I can't use recipes that need those just yet. This recipe is easy and I've made it twice so far for friends. My skillet skills are not that great (every other pancake was quite toasty or a bit under-done), but they were a hit both times anyway! I topped them with {baked apples} - recipe also in this post. 

For vegan pancakes you need - 

1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup plant milk (I have used soy milk, almond milk, and a blend of both)
2 tablespoons olive oil or melted coconut oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup or sugar of choice (I just use regular white sugar)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (make your own with some vodka, a vanilla bean, and a few weeks of waiting!)
A bit of oil if you need to grease your skillet, but I used a no-stick skillet so I just used a tiny touch of sunflower oil on the pan

#1 - Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, mix together the plant milk, olive oil, the sugar/maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
#2 - Pour the liquid mixture into the bowl with the dry mixture and stir until combined (leave only a few lumps, you don't want to over-mix as well). Let batter sit for 5 minutes.
#3 - Heat your pan up until a drop of water sizzles on contact with the surface. Drop on enough batter to make a pancake about the size of your palm. Wait until the 1/2-inch perimeter doesn't look glossy and there are a few small bubbles forming on the surface - this is when you flip. Don't worry if it takes a few times to get this right. My pancakes are always a mix of under-done and over-done. Just remind yourself that there are no eggs in this batter, so no worries about making your guests ill! You can even eat the batter out of the bowl if you want :)
#4 - Enjoy! Top with maple syrup, blueberries, peanut butter, or baked apples.

{Baked Apples} 

These are super easy to make and taste great on top of pancakes and waffles. 

Ingredients:
- Chopped apples
- A few dashes of water
- A good bit of sugar

Throw all ingredients into a small pot and put on the stove, stirring often. I think I usually end up adding 4 TBSP of sugar per 3-4 apples, but you can sweeten to your own taste. Once they are good and soft, serve warm. Delish!

{Warm Oats and Quinoa}

I literally eat this every day. Yes, every day. The boost of protein-rich quinoa and chia seeds, fiber-rich oats, and the warmth of plant milk and cinnamon are a great start to my morning. You might also remember this recipe from "If You Give a Blog a Breakfast." This recipe originally comes from the cookbook The 10 Things You Need to Eat: And More Than 100 Easy and Delicious Ways to Prepare Them. The only difference from the original recipe is that I always use plant milk, and I omit the honey (which doesn't change the flavor at all). 

For a single-serving (I whip it up each morning in a tiny saucepan), you will need:
- about 3/4 cup plant milk (if you want to make your plant milk stretch, use 1/2 cup plant milk + 1/4 cup water)
- a few dashes of ground cinnamon
- 2 large spoons of COOKED quinoa (I cook up a good bit each Sunday and use some each day)
- 1/2 cup of quick oats (Yulaf ezmesi in Turkey)
- a sprinkle of chia seeds
- optional: 1/4 cup of chopped apples (if adding apples, put a tiny bit more milk/water into the pot)

How-to:

- Put your pot on the stove with the plant milk and cinnamon. Let it heat up until it starts to bubble. If making this an apple cinnamon oatmeal, put your apples in and stir - let sit for a minute or so. Then, add the cooked quinoa, oats, and chia seeds. Stir and let it start to bubble. Turn heat onto low and let it sit for a few more minutes. I'm an impatient cook, so as soon as the oats appear soft I take it off the stove and eat it. The longer you let it sit, the thicker it will become. Enjoy this morning boost!

{Vegan Additions to the Breakfast Table} 

Maybe it's the Turk coming out in me, but I like to have the breakfast table covered in a variety of things. Here are some options that I like. 

~ Bowl of walnuts (feed those brains)
~ fruit platter of cut bananas, pears, apples, and berries
~ clementines/mandolinas/"cuties"/oranges and orange juice to boost that vitamin C


{Make sure that milky coffee is vegan too!} 

Almond milk and rice milk both taste delicious in coffee. I don't take my coffee black, and these both have been great to use instead of cow's milk.

Make sure to share this post with your fellow breakfast-lovers! 

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Thanks! 

Here's a cookbook that I'm hoping to get my hands on soon!